In September 1959 Capt Philip St Barbe
Rawle, seen here wearing his Cosens's hat with its distinctive badge with the
house flag above the anchor, retired after a long career with that company.

Philip had paddle steamers in his blood and
had sailed on them all his life as his father, Capt Lewis St Barbe
Rawle, had been senior master with Cosens and captain of their
flagship Majestic before the First World War. Sadly father Lewis's life was cut short early at the age of just
fifty three when, whilst in command of the Empress
on war service, he was found drowned in Newhaven Harbour on the morning
of 6th May 1916.

With a childhood steeped in paddle
steamers it is no surprise that son Philip became a
paddle steamer captain himself, his first command being Cosens's paddle tug/tender Albert Victor
in 1924, pictured here leaving Weymouth.

In 1929 he transferred as master to the
Alexandra pictured entering Weymouth Harbour.

When she was sold he had a couple of seasons without his own ship before taking over the Victoria
from Capt Carter, who had moved onto the Monarch, in 1933.

Three years later Capt Carter moved onto
the Emperor of India and Capt Rawle succeeded him on the Monarch,
seen here leaving Weymouth. He remained with her up to and including the Second
World War during which the ship served as an Examination Service Vessel based at Weymouth renamed HMS Exwey. Capt Rawle related that "The first time I
came aboard the Monarch was when I was three years old. I still remember
getting into trouble with my mother for getting my white sailor suit dirty
playing with the seamen and for copying their language".

He moved to the Embassy for her
first post war trips in September 1946 in her partially re-built condition with
the extended saloon aft and a new bridge and wheelhouse but still with her old,
tall, coal-fired funnel. This was replaced with the large and fat one which became her
post war trademark when the boiler was converted to oil firing the following
winter. Here Embassy is head out alongside Custom House Quay, Weymouth,
in the late summer of 1946,
outside what is now the Harbourmaster's office.

In 1948 Capt Rawle took over the newly re-built
Emperor of India and apart from a period in 1953, when he was off sick,
remained with her until she was withdrawn after the 1956 season. The Emperor
had a bit of a reputation as a problem ship throughout her life with poor
handling characteristics and a tendency to wander when going astern. Capt Rawle once described her as "a nightmare for anyone who had to handle her".

Here he is on the starboard bridge wing
of the Emperor of India with the Mayor of Poole, Aldermen S F Lanridge
and the Mayor of Christchurch, Alderman E J Slinn in 1948.

From 1957 Capt Rawle
moved back to the Embassy for the remainder of his career finally
retiring on 11th September 1959, his place on
the bridge for the last few trips of that season being taken by Capt Haines
formerly of PS Monarch.

Capt Rawle was an excellent, highly
experienced and much respected master who had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the
Dorset, Hampshire and Devon coasts. Some of his commentaries on points of
interest are preserved in the Cosens's archive at
the Dorset County Library.

Pictured here with his wife and Cosens's
Bournemouth Manager Cdr Johnson, Capt Rawle was presented with a "handsome
clock", as the Bournemouth Echo described it, as a retirement gift at a ceremony
at the Antelope Hotel in Poole during which "Members of the crews of both
steamers (Embassy & Monarch) drank a toast to the veteran captain and his wife".